Lord Lytton

Vernacular Press Act, 1878 a highly controversial measure repressing the
freedom of vernacular press. The regime of viceroy lord lytton is particularly
noted for his most controversial press policy which led to the enactment of the
Vernacular Press Act on 14 March 1878. Earlier dramatic performances act (1876)
was enacted to repress the writing and staging of the allegedly seditious
dramas. Vernacular Press Act (1878) was aimed at repressing seditious propaganda
through vernacular newspapers. Introducing the Bill the Law Member of the
Council narrated how the vernacular newspapers and periodicals were spreading
seditious propaganda against the government. The viceroy Lord Lytton strongly
denounced newspapers published in the vernacular languages as "mischievous
scribblers preaching open sedition". He remarked that the avowed purpose of most
of the vernacular newspapers was an end to the British raj.

The papers that made the government worried were Somprakash, Sulabh Samachar,
Halisahar Patrika, Amrita Bazar Patrika, Bharat Mihir, Dacca Prakash, Sadharani
and Bharat Sanskarak. All these papers were said to have been leading the
seditious movement against the government. The Act provided for submitting to
police all the proof sheets of contents of papers before publication. What was
seditious news was to be determined by the police, and not by the judiciary.
Under this Act many of the papers were fined, their editors jailed. Obviously
this repressive measure came under severe criticism. All the native associations
irrespective of religion, caste and creed denounced the measure and kept their
denunciations and protestations alive. All the prominent leaders of Bengal and
of India condemned the Act as unwarranted and unjustified, and demanded for its
immediate withdrawal. The newspapers themselves kept on criticizing the measure
without an end. The succeeding administration of Lord Ripon reviewed the
developments consequent upon the Act and finally withdrew it.